Medical practices often add new techniques and procedures to increase revenue. I’m not suggesting the only reason is revenue. Presumably it’s to serve the patient and make a living BY serving the patient. And, I’m not opposed to physicians expanding what they do from treating disease to promoting health. But, I must admit, I did … Read more
A recent article evaluated 112 recorded clinical encounters. The rationale was testing of “shared decision-making tools.” I was confused by the findings and conclusions. In 27 of the 40 (67%) encounters in which clinicians elicited patient concerns, the clinician interrupted the patient after a median of 11 seconds (interquartile range 7–22; range 3 to 234 s). Uninterrupted patients took a … Read more
Yes, I know. The sun rises in the east. Sets in the west. And 2+2=4. Most of the time, when an attorney requests a copy of medical records for something like a personal injury case, auto accident, worker’s comp, they are professional, courteous, and offer to pay you the reasonable cost of copying the record. … Read more
Patients may be unhappy with their doctor for a variety of reasons. Dialogue solves most of them. But, sometimes this angst escalates. It culminates in a threat. All threats are not equal in the eyes of the law. A common threat is “Give me my money back and I will not slam you online.” Or … Read more
A famous US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once opined on obscenity: “I know it when I see it.” The Maryland Board of Medicine weighed in on whether it was unprofessional to write a prescription for a patient at a restaurant / bar. Excerpts from the legal case tell the tale. On October 1, 2012, … Read more
First, let’s discuss the difference between a service animal and a therapy animal. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are … Read more
Ebola is making a comeback in Africa. Fortunately, the World Health Organization is on top of it. Further, vaccines are being distributed. Hopefully these vaccines will prove safe and efficacious. Which brings me to Coming Attractions Bride and Formal in Ohio. “Coming Attractions” went out of business. They sued a Texas Hospital for their economic … Read more
When you vote, supporters for a candidate carrying leaflets and signs have to stay outside of some defined perimeter. You’re not supposed to be pestered as you walk into the voting booth. And, there are billboards of personal injury attorneys not too far from hospitals. But, you’d never see an ad for a personal injury … Read more
Imagine you received a request for records from a medical malpractice attorney. Not a good start to your day. But, the clock is ticking. The statute of limitations is about to run. If the clock runs out, you’re home free. (Actually, not always the case, since the statute of limitations is an affirmative defense. You … Read more
We have previously written about medico-legal challenges related to brain death determination. The American Academy of Neurology updated its guidelines in 2010 to create more uniform determination. Its checklist is as below. There’s a checklist related to systemic information (eg: the patient is in a coma, systolic blood pressure or body temperature are not abnormally low). There’s a checklist … Read more
